> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.seoutils.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.seoutils.app/guide/remote-access.md). # Remote Access Remote Access lets you open the SEO Utils that runs on your computer from any web browser — your phone, a tablet, or another laptop — through a private address that belongs to you. Your computer keeps doing the work and keeps your data; the browser is just a window onto it.

The Remote Access card in Settings, online, showing the private browser address, the status badge and the list of signed-in browsers

## How It Works * **Your computer does the work.** SEO Utils has to be running on your computer, and the computer has to be switched on and online. Nothing moves to the cloud — your reports, keywords and settings stay where they are. * **You get a private address.** After a one-time pairing, your computer gets its own address of the form `https://inst-….seoutils.app`. Open it in any browser to use SEO Utils. * **Your SEO Utils cloud account keeps it safe.** Sign-in for the browser, approving a new computer, your Remote Access plan and the list of your paired computers all live in your cloud account at [app.seoutils.app](https://app.seoutils.app). Only people signed in to your cloud account can open your address. * **Each signed-in browser uses a seat.** Your plan includes a number of seats — the browsers that can be signed in at once. {% hint style="info" %} Remote Access is managed from the desktop app. If you open the same settings card from a browser, it only tells you to make changes from SEO Utils on your computer. {% endhint %} ## Before You Start You'll need: * **SEO Utils installed and activated** with your license key on the computer you want to reach (see [Manage License Key](/guide/manage-license-key.md)). * **A cloud account** at [app.seoutils.app](https://app.seoutils.app). You'll create one in Step 1 if you don't have it yet, and your email address must be verified. * **An internet connection** on that computer. It has to stay on, with SEO Utils open, whenever you want to use Remote Access. * **A Remote Access plan** for that computer. You choose it during setup (Step 5) — see [Plans and Pricing](#plans-and-pricing). ## Setting Up Remote Access Pairing connects your computer to your cloud account. You do it once per computer. {% stepper %} {% step %} #### Create Your Cloud Account (Skip if you already had one) Go to [app.seoutils.app](https://app.seoutils.app) and click **"Register"**. Enter your name, email address and a password, then click **"Create account"**. Check your inbox for the verification email and follow its link. The Remote Access pages stay locked until your email address is verified. If you already have a cloud account, just **"Log in"**. {% hint style="info" %} Use the same cloud account for all your computers. A Remote Access plan stays with the account that bought it. {% endhint %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Open Remote Access in SEO Utils In SEO Utils, go to **Settings → Services** and select **Remote Access** in the settings sidebar. The card says **Not paired yet** and lists the three steps ahead of you.

The Remote Access card before pairing, with the three pairing steps and the Enable Remote Access button

{% endstep %} {% step %} #### Click "Enable Remote Access" SEO Utils shows **Your pairing code** — two groups of four characters, such as `7GKP-XT29` — and starts **Waiting for approval…**. Click **"Open approval page"**. Your browser opens the approval page on app.seoutils.app with your code already filled in. Sign in to your cloud account if asked.

The pairing code shown in SEO Utils, with the Open approval page and Cancel buttons

{% hint style="warning" %} The code is only valid for a short time — the approval page shows exactly when it expires. If it runs out, click **"Try again"** in SEO Utils to get a new one. You can also click **"Cancel"** to stop pairing. {% endhint %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Approve the Computer The page **Pair this computer to your account** shows the code and the account you're signed in as. Check two things: * The code matches the one on your computer's screen. * **Signed in as** shows the right account. If not, click **"Not you? Switch account"**. Then click **"Approve pairing"**. Only approve a request you started yourself — click **"Deny"** if you didn't. The page shows **Approved — setting up your computer…**. Keep it open. Back in SEO Utils, the card changes to **Approved — setting up your address…** and then **Paired. Checking your plan…**. This takes a few seconds.

The approval page at app.seoutils.app showing the pairing code, the signed-in account and the Approve pairing button

{% endstep %} {% step %} #### Choose a Plan As soon as the pairing completes, the browser takes you to the **Remote Access** page of your cloud account, with your new computer selected and the notice **Your computer is paired but not online yet.** * Under **Plan**, pick **Remote Access**. * Under **Extra seats**, add seats if more than two browsers will be signed in at once. * Check **Your order** and click **"Continue to checkout"**. The next screen only collects your card, and billing starts when you finish. When you come back, the page confirms **Remote Access is now active for this installation.** In SEO Utils, the card fills in with your address by itself — no restart needed.

The Remote Access page at app.seoutils.app with the newly paired computer selected and the plan picker

{% hint style="info" %} Already paying for a Remote Access plan that isn't attached to a paired computer? The new computer picks it up automatically, and the page says **Your existing Remote Access plan moved to this computer.** There is no second checkout. {% endhint %} {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Your Computer Is Online The Remote Access card now shows your **Browser address** with a status badge. **Connector running** with a green dot means your computer is reachable. * Click **"Open in browser"** to try it right away. * Click **"Copy link"** to send the address to your phone or another computer. The switch at the top of the card shows **On**, and the card shows when your computer last checked in with your cloud account (**Last hub heartbeat**).

The Remote Access card online, showing the private address, the Connector running badge and the Open in browser and Copy link buttons

{% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ## Opening SEO Utils From a Browser {% stepper %} {% step %} #### Open Your Private Address Type or paste the address from the Remote Access card into any browser — on your phone, a tablet or another computer. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Sign In With Your Cloud Account You're sent to app.seoutils.app to log in. If you're already signed in to your cloud account in that browser, you go straight through. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Use SEO Utils SEO Utils opens in the browser with the same workspaces and reports as on your computer. The user menu at the bottom of the sidebar shows the computer's name and **Owner · Remote Access**, so you always know which computer you're working on. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %}

SEO Utils open in a phone browser through the private address, with the computer's name in the user menu

### What Works in the Browser Most tools and reports work in the browser exactly as they do on the desktop, and anything you start keeps running on your computer even after you close the browser. A few things stay on the desktop — mainly screens that store credentials or work with files on the computer: | In the browser | Desktop only | | -------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Your workspaces, reports and rank tracking | **Settings → Services** and every credential screen: Google Service Accounts, Google OAuth tokens, SMTP credentials, proxies and site integrations | | Running reports and checks, and watching them progress | **License Manager** and license key entry | | Most tools, with the same results as on the desktop | **Backup Tools** (database and app configuration backups) | | Copying results and exports the browser can build itself | Onboarding, Manage SERP Data, and a few export and preview buttons | {% hint style="info" %} If a button you use on the desktop is missing in the browser, that action is desktop-only for now. Everything else about the tool works the same way. {% endhint %} ### Seats: Who Can Be Signed In * A **seat** is one signed-in browser. All tabs in the same browser share one seat; your laptop and your phone use two. * Every plan includes **2 seats**, and you can add more at any time (see [Adding or Removing Seats](#adding-or-removing-seats)). * The desktop app on your computer never uses a seat. * Closing the tab does not free the seat — a browser stays signed in for up to 30 days. Sign out to free it, or it is freed automatically after 30 days without activity. If every seat is taken when you sign in from a new browser, app.seoutils.app shows **Every seat is in use** with the list of signed-in browsers. Click **"Sign out that browser"** next to one of them and your sign-in continues. ### Signing Out of a Browser Open the user menu in the sidebar and choose **"Sign out this browser"**. You'll see **Signed out of this browser** — its seat is free again — with a **"Sign in again"** link for whenever you want to come back.
### When Your Computer Is Offline If SEO Utils isn't running, the computer is asleep or shut down, or it has no internet, your address shows a page saying **\[your computer's name] is offline**. It reconnects automatically as soon as the computer running SEO Utils is back online, and the page refreshes itself every minute — there is nothing to do on the browser side. {% hint style="warning" %} Remote Access needs SEO Utils **open** on the computer — not just installed. Keep the app running and the computer awake if you plan to work from elsewhere. {% endhint %} ## Turning Remote Access Off and On Once paired, the switch at the top of the Remote Access card turns browser access **Off** and **On** without unpairing.
| Switch | What happens | | ------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Off** | Browser access stops now. Your address shows the offline page, and the card says **Browser access is off. Turn it on to reach this address.** | | **On** | Browser access starts the next time the app opens — restart SEO Utils to bring the address back online. | The switch does not change your plan or your list of signed-in browsers. ## Managing Signed-in Browsers The **Signed-in browsers** list on the Remote Access card shows every browser that can open your address, with a counter such as **2 of 2** for your seats. | Column | What it shows | | --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Browser** | The account name and a description of the browser | | **Status** | **Active**, or **Pending** while a sign-in is still finishing | | **Origin** | The address the browser signed in through | | **Last active** | The last time that browser was used | * To free a seat, click **"Sign out"** on its row and confirm in the **Sign this browser out?** dialog. That browser loses access at its next check-in, usually within a minute. Any job it started keeps running on your computer. * When every seat is taken, the card shows **You've reached 2 of 2 signed-in browsers**. Sign a browser out, or click **"Buy more seats"** to add seats on your cloud account. * Click the refresh icon to reload the list.

The Signed-in browsers list on the Remote Access card, with the seat counter, the Buy more seats button and a Sign out button on each row

## Plans and Pricing Remote Access is an add-on to your SEO Utils license, billed monthly per computer. You choose it on the **Remote Access** page of your cloud account; the same prices are shown publicly at [app.seoutils.app/pricing](https://app.seoutils.app/pricing). | Plan | Price | What you get | | -------------------------- | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Remote Access** | $5.99 / month | Open SEO Utils on this computer from any browser, with **2 browser seats included** | | **Remote Access + Agency** | $19.99 / month | Everything in Remote Access, plus employee logins for your team | **Extra seats** cost $1.99 per seat per month on either plan, and you can cancel at any time. {% hint style="info" %} Employee logins (the Agency plan) are not covered in this guide. {% endhint %} ## Managing Computers and Your Plan Everything about billing and your paired computers lives on the **Remote Access** page of your cloud account. Open it from the sidebar at [app.seoutils.app](https://app.seoutils.app), or click **"Choose a plan"** or **"Buy more seats"** on the Remote Access card in SEO Utils.

The Remote Access page at app.seoutils.app listing paired computers with their status and plan badges

### Your Computers Each paired computer has a tile showing its name and status: | Badge | Meaning | | ------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Paired** / **Not paired** | Whether the computer is currently connected to your account | | **On Remote Access** (plus any extra seats) | The plan this computer is on | | **Remote Access active** | Paid for and online | | **Remote Access not subscribed** | Paired, but no plan yet — its address stays offline | | **Payment needs attention** | The last payment failed. Remote Access keeps working for up to 7 days while the payment is retried | | **Subscribed — pairing needed** | The plan is running, but the computer is no longer paired. Pair it again from SEO Utils | | **Subscribed — licence problem** / **Licence disabled** | The license on that computer is no longer valid (see [Remote Access and Your License](#remote-access-and-your-license)) | ### Changing Your Plan {% stepper %} {% step %} #### Select the Computer Click the computer's tile. Its **Current plan** card shows the plan, the monthly price and the seats included. {% endstep %} {% step %} #### Switch and Confirm Click **"Switch plan"**, choose the other plan, and click **"Update plan"**. The change takes effect now, and the difference is prorated onto your next monthly invoice. {% endstep %} {% endstepper %} ### Adding or Removing Seats In the **Extra seats** section, use **Add a seat** or **Remove a seat**, then click **"Update plan"**. Each extra seat is $1.99 per month. {% hint style="info" %} If you remove seats below the number of browsers currently signed in, those browsers stay signed in — but no new browser can sign in until you are under the limit again. {% endhint %} ### Cancelling or Resuming * Click **"Cancel at period end"** and confirm with **"Schedule cancellation"**. Remote Access, extra seats and Agency all stop on the date shown, and everything keeps working until then. The computer's tile shows **Ends** with that date. * Changed your mind? Click **"Resume this plan"** before that date. {% hint style="warning" %} Turning Remote Access off, forgetting the pairing, unpairing a computer or deactivating your license does **not** cancel the plan. Billing continues until you cancel it here. {% endhint %} ### Unpairing a Computer Unpairing disconnects a computer from your cloud account. Do it when you sell or retire the computer, or want to pair it with a different cloud account. You can do it from either side: {% tabs %} {% tab title="From your hub account" %} On the **Remote Access** page, click **"Unpair…"** on the computer's tile. The **Unpair this computer?** dialog explains what happens: * The computer is disconnected from your account. Anyone with the desktop app on it can pair it again, with this account or another. * Your Remote Access plan for this computer is **not** cancelled and keeps billing. To stop paying, cancel it with **"Cancel at period end"**. * Published reports from this computer stay available. Click **"Unpair this computer"** to confirm. {% endtab %} {% tab title="From SEO Utils app" %} At the bottom of the Remote Access card, click **"Forget this pairing"** and confirm in the dialog. Every signed-in browser loses access and your address stops working. Your desktop app and its license are unaffected, and billing for the Remote Access add-on continues until you cancel it separately. You can pair again later. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} Unpaired computers move to the **Previously paired** list on the Remote Access page. A plan left without a computer keeps billing until you cancel it — or until you pair another computer with the same account, which picks the plan up automatically. {% hint style="info" %} To move a computer to a different cloud account, unpair it from the account that has it, then pair it again while signed in to the other account. The plan stays with the original account. {% endhint %} ## Remote Access and Your License | License state | Effect on Remote Access | | ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Active** | Works normally. | | **Expired** (your updates window is over) | Nothing changes. Remote Access keeps working, billing continues, and an expired key can still pair a computer. | | **Disabled, refunded, or deactivated on this computer** | Remote Access on that computer is paused: the computer is unpaired and signed-in browsers lose access. Your cloud account shows a **Licence disabled** badge and the notice **Your Remote Access plan for … is on a licence key that is no longer valid, so Remote Access on it is paused.** | A license problem never cancels your plan by itself. Either cancel the plan on the Remote Access page, or activate a valid license on the computer and pair it again — the plan moves to whichever computer you pair next. ### Deactivating Your License on This Computer If you deactivate your license on a paired computer (user menu → **License Manager** → **Deactivate license on this computer**), two things matter for Remote Access: * Remote Access on that computer ends immediately. Every signed-in browser loses access and its address stops working. * Your Remote Access plan is **not** cancelled. It stays on your account, and the next computer you pair with this account picks it up with no new checkout. The deactivation steps and the expired-key warning are in the [Manage License Key](/guide/manage-license-key.md#option-3-from-the-app-on-this-computer) guide. ## Troubleshooting | What you see | What it means | What to do | | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Pairing didn't complete** | The code expired, the request was denied on the approval page, or the pairing was interrupted. The card shows the reason. | Click **"Try again"** for a fresh code and approve it on app.seoutils.app. | | **This installation is paired to another hub account** | This computer is currently paired with a different cloud account. The message names that account (with the email partly hidden). | Sign in to that account on app.seoutils.app, open **Remote Access** and click **"Unpair…"** on the computer — or, if you simply approved from the wrong account, use **"Not you? Switch account"** on the approval page. Then click **"Try again"**. | | **Paired. Choose a plan to bring your address online.** | The computer is paired but has no Remote Access plan yet. | Click **"Choose a plan"** and complete checkout. The card recovers on its own. | | **The hub is refusing Remote Access for this installation** | The plan for this computer lapsed, so the computer was unpaired. | Click **"Open the hub"**, choose a plan for the computer again, then click **"Enable Remote Access"** to pair it again. | | **This pairing belongs to a different license** | The license key activated on this computer changed after it was paired. | Click **"Forget this pairing"**, then **"Enable Remote Access"** to pair again with the current license. | | **The hub is refusing this installation** | Browser access is paused. | Wait — this clears on its own if the cause was temporary. If it doesn't, forget the pairing and pair again. | | Status badge shows **Stopped** or **Retrying…** | Your computer can't reach the cloud right now, or browser access is switched off. | Check the computer's internet connection and the **On** / **Off** switch. If you just switched it on, restart SEO Utils. | | The browser shows **… is offline** | SEO Utils isn't running, the computer is asleep or off, or it has no internet. | Start SEO Utils on the computer. The page refreshes itself. | | **Every seat is in use** when signing in | Every seat is taken by another signed-in browser. | Click **"Sign out that browser"** on one of them, or add extra seats. | | You're asked to sign in again | You signed out, the owner signed that browser out, the browser wasn't used for 30 days, the pairing was changed or forgotten, or the connection was down for a long time. | Log in again at app.seoutils.app. | | **Payment needs attention** on your cloud account | The last payment failed. | Remote Access keeps working for up to 7 days while the payment is retried. If it isn't completed, the plan ends and the computer is unpaired — subscribe again before pairing. | {% hint style="info" %} Still stuck? Post in the [SEO Utils Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/groups/seoutils). {% endhint %} ## Frequently Asked Questions
Is my data uploaded to the cloud? No. Your reports, keywords and settings stay on your computer: 1. The browser talks to your computer through the private address. 2. Your cloud account only handles sign-in, approving computers, seats and billing. 3. When the computer is off, the address shows an offline page — nothing is served from the cloud.
Can I use it on my phone? Yes. Open your private address in the phone's browser and log in with your cloud account. The phone counts as one signed-in browser, so it uses one seat.
What happens when I close SEO Utils or shut down my computer? * Your address shows the **… is offline** page until SEO Utils is running again. * Anyone using the browser at that moment loses the connection. Once the computer is back, they can carry on — after a long outage they may be asked to log in again. * Your plan, your pairing and your signed-in browsers are unchanged.
Can I pair two computers? Yes. Pair each computer from its own copy of SEO Utils. Every paired computer gets its own address and needs its own plan — Remote Access is billed per computer.
Does closing the browser tab free the seat? No. A seat is freed when you choose **"Sign out this browser"**, when the owner signs that browser out from the Remote Access card, or after 30 days without activity.
Does turning Remote Access off cancel my plan? No. The switch, **"Forget this pairing"**, **"Unpair…"** and deactivating your license all leave the plan in place. Cancel it with **"Cancel at period end"** on the Remote Access page of your cloud account.
## Related Guides {% content-ref url="/pages/XSCk1mZIdhq2Ewkaex7a" %} [Manage License Key](/guide/manage-license-key.md) {% endcontent-ref %}